Food redistribution charity FareShare is launching its tenth Food Collection to help feed people in need this winter.
Taking place on Thursday 30 November - Saturday 2 December, the charity is seeking hundreds of ‘Santa’s Little Helpers’ to volunteer for a three hour shift at a Derry Tesco.
Based in Mallusk, FareShare Northern Ireland takes surplus food from the food and drink industry and delivers it to local charities, with the help of their dedicated volunteers. But, because most of the food is fresh, the charity urgently needs store cupboard essentials for local charities and community groups to use all year round.
Volunteers will spread Christmas cheer by encouraging shoppers to donate one or two long-life items in store such as packets of pasta, rice, tea and tins of tomatoes. FareShare Northern Ireland will then redistribute the donated food to local charities including homeless shelters, children’s breakfast clubs, women's refuges, and older people’s lunch clubs.
FareShare CEO, Lindsey Boswell, said: “By volunteering a few hours this Christmas, you could collect enough food donations to make 600 meals. And the donated food will make a tremendous difference to local charities doing amazing work with some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Last year we collected an incredible amount of food but the need is only increasing and we want 2017 to be our biggest year ever.
“You don’t need any special skills or magic dust to be a little helper this Christmas, you just have to stand in your local supermarket for a few hours, chat to shoppers and encourage them to buy an extra food item if they can. It’s a quick and easy way to make a practical difference, and it’s a lot of fun. The more helpers the merrier, so get your friends, family and colleagues involved as well!”
During last year’s festive Food Collection, Tesco shoppers donated enough food to provide 3.4 million meals for vulnerable people across the UK, making it the country’s biggest food drive. Tesco will top-up donations by 20%, enabling FareShare to get even more food to people in need.
You can sign up to the Christmas Food Collection either as an individual or as a team, with friends, colleagues or family. To sign up for a shift visit: http://fareshare.org.uk/get-involved/food-collection/
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